Tuesday, March 05, 2013

If any observers thought the White House was bluffing in its dire, even sadistic predictions about the outcome of the sequester, they may be disappointed. A new internal email discovered by the Washington Times suggests that, even if the negative effects of the budget cuts known as “sequestration” can be blunted, the White House has precisely no interest in doing so, most likely because it would undermine their bargaining position with Congress.

The Washington Times reports:

In the email sent Monday by Charles Brown, an official with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service office in Raleigh, N.C., Mr. Brown asked “if there was any latitude” in how to spread the sequester cuts across the region to lessen the impacts on fish inspections.

He said he was discouraged by officials in Washington, who gave him this reply: “We have gone on record with a notification to Congress and whoever else that ‘APHIS would eliminate assistance to producers in 24 states in managing wildlife damage to the aquaculture industry, unless they provide funding to cover the costs.’ So it is our opinion that however you manage that reduction, you need to make sure you are not contradicting what we said the impact would be.”

It is hard to say what will happen. County Sheriffs and police chiefs vowed to stand down and not give material support or help to the federal agencies involved trying to disarm the American people. Many in the US Military will stand down like the East German Military shortly before the Berlin Wall came down. Soon after communism collapsed in Russia and eastern Europe.

It is hard to say if it will bloodless or a blood bath in the streets if the US government tries to come after the guns. It is my hope the US Government collapse flinching when the US Military and Federal Agents hesitate when ordered to disarm to the American people, most of all disarm the veterans.

Blogger Bob Owens written” What Will You Seen in the Rebellion” a likely scenario how a revolt against the US government will possibly unfold. Here is the beginning of the blog and you can read the rest.

Let me explain, gun grabbers, how your confiscatory fantasy plays out. Let us imagine for a moment that a sweeping gun control bill similar to the one currently suggested is passed by the House and Senate, and signed into law by a contemptuous President.

Constantly looking over your shoulder, glancing under your car to see if there’s a body under there feels, as one person said, “like you’re in a Cold War epic.” Except, it’s much more benign than that — it’s an extreme, month-long game of tag that a group of men have been playing for the past 23 years.

The tag among the 10 men, now in their 40s living in the Pacific Northwest according to ESPN, started when they attended Gonzaga Preparatory School. It was resurrected when they graduated as a way to keep in touch. It even has a formal “tag participation agreement.”

There are three rules added into the agreement to the traditional play of tag, according to Patrick “Patty” Schultheis.

Police in Polk County, Ore. found a suspected burglar dead inside a stolen truck Sunday morning. They say he burglarized a home twice the night before, stealing several items, including two guns.

In a statement, investigators said 19-year-old Genaro Hernandez Mendoza of West Salem, Ore. was heading to his family’s farm when he broke into a home on Independence Highway and stole several items. He then returned to the farm and hid the stolen items behind a barn.

Police say he then stole a pickup truck and returned to the same home he had already burglarized to steal more items, including a shotgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.More

North Carolina's plan to grant specially marked driver's licenses to qualifying illegal immigrants later this month is discriminatory and reinforces attitudes that Latino residents are second-class residents, critics said Monday.

Lawmakers, clergy and Hispanic young adults benefiting from a new Obama administration program to grant federal work permits to immigrants condemned the state Department of Transportation's decision last month to issue licenses with bright pink stripes and the words "NO LAWFUL STATUS" on them.

"I do feel discriminated against," said Jose Rico, 23, of Raleigh, who has lived in North Carolina for 10 years and has been issued a work permit under the program. "Now they have given us the driver's licenses, but with a scarlet letter — with a pink stripe."More

The city of Charlottesville, VA, (home to the awesomest University on the planet) currently has a law on the books that forbids panhandling in and around the city’s Downtown Mall area. A group of homeless men tried to fight the ban in court, but a District Court judge dismissed the case. However, a federal appeals panel has said the lower court was too hasty in tossing the case out. [via CourthouseNews.com]

A federal judge declared a mistrial Monday in the case of a D.C. nightclub owner charged with drug conspiracy — 2 ½ years after his previous conviction was tossed out because police used a global positioning device to track him without a warrant.

U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle declared the mistrial when jurors could not reach a verdict for Antoine Jones after more than seven days of deliberations.

This was actually the third trial for Jones. His first trial, in 2007, also ended in a mistrial. He was convicted in a second trial and sentenced to life, but a federal appeals court reversed. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the reversal last year in a major decision that has prompted police to seek search warrants more often before they use GPS tracking devices.More

Given the current state of the airline industry and the nature of the stories that people send to us, it’s nice to hear the occasional account of airline staffers going to extra lengths to help a passenger out.Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott has the story of a San Francisco man who had to make an unexpected trip Lubbock, TX, (via Houston) to see his mother before she passed away.

Facing a $1 million cut, the Maryland Department of Aging is focusing on providing more at-home services to keep the elderly out of costly nursing homes.

Coming on the heels of last year’s $4 million budget cuts, the $1 million cut in the governor’s fiscal 2014 budget is 2% of the department’s overall budget. At the same time, the department is confronting the needs of the rapidly-aging Baby Boomer generation.

“The shift from a younger America to an older one will affect us all,” said Gloria Lawlah, secretary of Aging. “By 2040, the number of Americans over age 65 will more than double to 88 million. Put in another way, one in five Americans will be 65 years of age or older. One in five.”More

The White House said Monday that it should be legal for consumers to unlock their cellphones to work with multiple wireless networks without carrier permission.

The administration made its comments in response to a proposal submitted to its “We the People” petition Web site, which earned 114,322 signatures since it first appeared Jan. 24.

In October 2012, the Library of Congress created an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, allowing consumers to unlock their phones. That rule expired Jan. 26. The White House’s telecommunications policy arm, the National Telecommunications Information Administration, had advised the Library of Congress to renew its policy to allow unlocking. Still, the Library of Congress decided to discontinue the exemption.

March 5, 2013, a Wicomico County Jury found Keith Alexander Harmon guilty of First Degree Assault, Second Degree Assault, and Reckless Endangerment.

On September 22, 2012, Keith Harmon was arrested in the area of Claiborne Street and Lake Street after the Salisbury Police responded to a call for an Assault. Ofc. Soldatelli of the Salisbury Police Department quickly located the victim who was bleeding profusely from her head. Trial testimony revealed that Harmon smashed a liquor bottle over the victim’s head and later punched her in the face, while a rescuer attempted to carry the victim to a place of safety.

Immediately after the verdict was announced, Harmon was sentenced to serve a twenty (20) year active sentence in the Division of Corrections.

Wicomico County State’s Attorney Matthew A. Maciarello commended the Salisbury Police Department, the Salisbury University Police Department, and Officer Evan Soldatelli for their excellent teamwork in the investigation and prosecution of this case. Mr. Maciarello also thanked Safe Streets Prosecutor, Richard J. Brueckner Jr., who prosecuted this case.

A New York City-based marketing firm horrified New Yorkers by staging a “murder in progress” to help promote Niels Arden Oplev’s upcoming crime film “Dead Man Down.” While it is being described as an “experiment” to see how people would react if they walked in on a murder in progress, it seems more like a horrifying prank.

The agency set up hidden cameras inside and outside New York City elevator and filmed people’s reactions as they discovered a man trying to strangle another man to death with an extension chord.More

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Utility Asks Customers to Prepare for Possible Outages

SALISBURY, Md. –Delmarva Power is closely monitoring a wintry mix of hazardous weather that is expected to reach our region this evening. The National Weather Service is predicting that the Delmarva Peninsula will experience rain, high winds and snow into Thursday. Storms can bring down tree limbs onto power lines, causing power outages. Delmarva Power will schedule and adjust its workforce to respond to any outages that may occur.

Delmarva Power urges customers to stay safe and offers the following preparation and safety tips.

Preparation Tips

· Have adequate prescription medicines or infant supplies on hand.

· If you or someone you know uses life-support equipment that requires electricity to operate, identify a location with emergency power capabilities and make plans to go there during a prolonged outage.

· Assemble an emergency storm kit. Include a battery-powered radio or television, flashlight, a first-aid kit, battery-powered or windup clock, extra batteries, special needs items, an insulated cooler and a list of important and emergency phone numbers.

· Keep at least a three-day supply of non-perishable foods and bottled water and have a hand-operated can opener available.

· Have a telephone with a cord or cell phone to use as a backup. Cordless telephones require electricity to operate, and won't work if there is an outage.

· Turn off power to flood-prone basement appliances if it is safe to do so. However, if you have an electrically operated sump pump, you should not turn off your power.

· Fill your gas tank so you can run your automobile to charge mobile devices. In order to operate the vehicle safely, be sure to open garage doors, using manual door controls if your power goes out.

Safety Tips

· Tune in to local news broadcasts for the latest weather and emergency information.

· Follow the advice of your local emergency management officials.

· If you need to use a portable generator, follow the manufacturer's instructions and use only when necessary. Don't overload it and turn it off at night while you sleep and when you are away from home.

· Take cover if necessary.

· Customers are asked to call Delmarva Power to report a power outage, a gas emergency and/or if they see a downed or damaged power line. Stay away from downed wires. Assume any downed wire is energized. The numbers to call are:

Weather ForecastThe Wicomico County Department of Emergency Services participated in a weather conference call at 4 p.m. with the Maryland Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service. The National Weather service advised the following information:

Tuesday night into late Wednesday afternoon the system will begin as rain and begin changing over to snow late Wednesday afternoon. Winds will gradually increase Wednesday morning to sustained speeds of 20-30 m.p.h.

From sunset Wednesday to early morning hours Thursday, wet heavy snow with accumulations of 1-2 inches is expected. The snowfall is expected to end prior to sunrise on Thursday morning. Winds Wednesday evening in to Thursday morning will have gusts from 30-40 m.p.h. Tidal anomalies of 1 foot and minor flooding are possible.

The DES is continuing to monitor the situation in conjunction with MEMA and the National Weather Service. Additional Informational Bulletins will be issued if necessary.

The Obama administration has no intention of carrying out drone strikes against suspected terrorists in the United States, but could use them in response to “an extraordinary circumstance” such as the 9/11 terror attacks, according to a letter from Attorney General Eric Holder obtained by NBC News.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who received the March 4 letter from Holder, called the attorney general’s refusal to rule out drone strikes in the U.S. “more than frightening.”

The letter from Holder surfaced just as the Senate Intelligence Committee was voting 12-3 to confirm White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to be CIA director. The vote came after the White House agreed to share additional classified memos on targeted drone strikes against U.S. More

The Office of the Maryland Attorney General is threatening to wage a Supreme Court fight if the state’s top court does not reconsider its ruling in a recent income tax case.

The Court of Appeals’ 5-2 decision in Maryland State Comptroller v. Wynne found it was unconstitutional to bar Maryland residents from deducting, from city or county taxes, the tax they pay to other states when they earn money there.

If the decision is not overturned, local governments stand to lose between $40 million and $50 million a year, the attorney general’s office wrote in its motion for reconsideration of the January decision.More

(CNN) -- A Pennsylvania doctor is accused of running a "house of horrors" in which he performed abortions past the 24-week limit allowed by law -- even allegedly as late as eight months into pregnancy.

He used scissors, authorities say, to sever the spinal cords of newborns who emerged from their mothers still alive.

Now Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, is about to stand trial. He has pleaded not guilty. If he's convicted, prosecutors want him put to death.

"A doctor who cuts into the necks severing the spinal cords of living, breathing babies, who would survive with proper medical attention, is committing murder under the law," Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said.

PHILADELPHIA -- A young boy who was the victim of bullying has died, according to his family. Bailey O'Neill, who turned 12 on Saturday, was in a coma after suffering several seizures. His family told NBC10's Katy Zachry that he died at the hospital on Sunday.

Bailey's family says he was jumped by two classmates during recess at Darby Township School last January and suffered a concussion as well as a broken nose as a result. He then began to suffer seizures the next day, forcing doctors to put him into a medically induced coma. Joy Fecanin, the boy's grandmother, told NBC10's Katy Zachry that he had to have a blood transfusion after getting pneumonia.

“We know that Marco was brutally murdered. His body was found on Wednesday, February 26, 2013, beaten, dragged and burned (set afire),” his family said in an email released through his campaign manager Jarod Keith. “This was reported in our meeting with the local coroner on two occasions. We were informed that the official autopsy report could take two to four weeks to complete.

Just ask the New Rochelle High School boys basketball team. On Sunday, with just seconds left in the New York Section I Class AA boys basketball championship game against Mt. Vernon and down two points (58-60), they pulled of an unbelievable finish that included two steals and a half-court buzzer beater.

This is how Yahoo describes it: “Ladies and Gentlemen, say hello to what is absolutely, positively the most incredible, bizarre outrageous buzzer beater of 2013, at any level.”

“This might be the buzzer-beater of all time,” ESPN anchor Steve Levy said on SportsCenter Sunday night.More

The sequester is all anybody wants to talk about. I get it: It’s the hip new crisis sweeping Washington. But remember Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? You know, the once quasi-independent housing giants whose takeover by the federal government has cost taxpayers upwards of $190 billion thus far? Well, Fannie and Freddie are still owned by the federal government and, on top of that, are the only thing holding the U.S.’ badly battered housing-finance system together, as the Feds back 9 out of 10 mortgages issued today.

But Congress and the President have been so bogged down in their never-ending budget battles that we’ve heard little from Washington on this subject in recent months. Until last week, that is, when the Bipartisan Policy Center — a think tank formed by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell — tried to bring this very important issue back to the fore by releasing a 131-page report on the future of housing policy in America.

Wilson Combat, famous manufacturer of premium 1911 pistols and AR-15 rifles, had put themselves on the ever-growing list of manufacturers who are making it a matter of policy to not supply law enforcement in states with prohibitive gun control.

Simply put, if your people don’t have access to the guns they want, neither can your police.

“Wilson Combat will no longer provide any products or services to any State Government imposing legislation that infringes on the Second Amendment rights of its law-abiding citizens. This includes any Law Enforcement Department, Law Enforcement Officers, or any State Government Entity or Employee of such an entity. This also applies to any local municipality imposing such infringements.

The Library Trustees for the Wicomico Public Library are looking for residents of Wicomico County to fill vacancies on the Library Board. Terms for the Board begin July 1, 2013. The term of office is five years, with the possibility of being reappointed for a second five-year term. The Library Board meets from 4 PM to 6 PM on the second Tuesday of the following months: August, October, December, February, April, and June.

The responsibilities of the Wicomico County Board of Library Trustees include the following: determining policy; adopting reasonable rules, regulations, and bylaws; advising in the preparation of, and approving the library budget, selecting the location of and approving plans for library buildings, subject to County approval. Board members must be approved by the Wicomico County Council.

Applications are available at the Main Library in Downtown Salisbury, on the Bookmobile, at the Centre Branch, the Pittsville Branch, the Bivalve Station and atwww.wicomicolibrary.org.

First consideration will be given to applications received by Monday, March 11, 2013.

The Wicomico County Department of Emergency Services participated in a weather conference call at 10 a.m. with the Maryland Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service. The National Weather service advised the following information:

Tuesday night into late Wednesday afternoon the system will begin as rain and begin changing over to snow late Wednesday afternoon.

From sunset Wednesday to early morning hours Thursday, wet heavy snow with accumulations of 1-2 inches is expected. Snowfall is expected to end prior to sunrise on Thursday morning. Winds will pick up Wednesday evening with gusts from 40-45 m.p.h. There will be tidal anomalies of 1-2 feet and minor flooding possible.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has joined the ranks of skeptics and “conspiracy theorists” who believe that a lone gunman was not solely responsible for the assassination of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy said his father, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, believed the Warren Commission Report was a “shoddy piece of craftsmanship”

“The evidence at this point I think is very, very convincing that it was not a lone gunman,” he said, but he did not elaborate on what he believed may have happened.

John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, while riding in a motorcade through Dallas.

Robert F. Kennedy, while celebrating his victory in the California Democratic presidential primary, was shot and killed on June 5, 1968, at a Los Angeles hotel. He was supposedly the victim of another “lone nut.”

RFK’s assassination and the circumstances surrounding it have spawned almost as many conspiracy theories as his brother’s murder five years earlier.

State Police say the estranged husband of 51-year-old Robin Pope called authorities over the weekend to say his wife had come to the home the two shared on Kent Island Friday night to pick up some things. They separated in December according to authorities.

Wayne Pope told police that he left the home when Robin Pope showed up and then returned on Saturday morning and she was not there.

He told police that her car was still in the driveway and her stuff was still in her vehicle.More

Though there have been examples of statistical noise over one or two days, for most of the year, Gallup has consistently recorded Obama's job approval rating at or above fifty-percent. Since Friday, though, the three-day average dipped to a startling 46%.

On 2-14-13 around 1:45 pm, a deputy from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office attempted to make a traffic stop with a dark Chrysler in the Princess Anne area for a minor traffic offense . After the deputy activated his emergency equipment, the driver later identified as Deshay D. Cephas of Princess Anne attempted to make a getaway into the Somers Place Apartments, Princess Anne. As Cephas quickly entered the parking lot of the apartments he struck a parked vehicle, and ran from the scene. When Cephas ran from the moving vehicle it coasted into the deputies patrol car causing damage. Deputies later recovered 81 individually packaged baggies of suspected crack cocaine from the vehicle.

On 3-1-13 around 4pm deputies responded to the area of 11548 Beckford Ave, Princess Anne Apt# 19 regarding a tip that Cephas was staying in that apartment. With the assistance from the Maryland state Police, Princess Anne Barrack, entry was granted into the apartment. Deputies later apprehended Cephas without incident hiding in a crawl space above a bedroom. Cephas was transported to the Sheriff’s office where he was served a Circuit Court indictment for 1st and 2nd degree assault, reckless endangerment, cds intent to distribute narcotics, cds distribute within 1000 ft of a school, cds possession other than marijuana, obstructing and hindering police, failure to obey a lawful order, fleeing and eluding a police officer, and hit and run accident. Cephas was later held without bond pending court actions.

(Reuters) - A United Nations investigator called on the United States on Monday to publish its findings on the CIA's Bush-era program of rendition and secret detention of terrorism suspects.

Ben Emmerson, U.N. special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, voiced concern that while President Barack Obama's administration has rejected Central Intelligence Agency practices conducted under his predecessor George W. Bush, there have been no prosecutions.

"Despite this clear repudiation of the unlawful actions carried out by the Bush-era CIA, many of the facts remain classified, and no public official has so far been brought to justice in the United States," Emmerson said in a report to the U.N. Human Rights Council, which he will address on Tuesday.

The University of Maryland Regents violated the state's open meetings act in November when the panel met in secret to discuss a move from the ACC to the Big Ten, a state board has found.

In a Feb. 26 opinion, the Open Meetings Compliance Board said, "we find that the Board (of Regents) violated the Open Meetings Act in multiple respects."

Most significantly, the regents were talking about things that they couldn't legally discuss without allowing the public in: "Even on the basis of the limited information that the Board (of Regents) has provided to us about those meetings, ... some part of the Board's discussion should almost certainly have been conducted in open session."

SANFORD - George Zimmerman's "stand your ground" hearing will not begin April 22 as planned, after his lawyer Mark O'Mara told a judge this morning he will not need the court time she'd set aside.

O'Mara stopped short of confirming that Zimmerman will combine the hearing with his trial, as the defense lawyer has previously said he was considering.

"Haven't made that decision yet. Our real focus is getting ready for the trial," O'Mara told reporters after the hearing, adding "... there's only time for one hearing and that's a jury trial. ... We have precious little time."More

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is lifting its ban on small knives, novelty bats and some sporting sticks in carry-on baggage.

From April 25, airline passengers going through US airports will be allowed to take onboard small Swiss Army-type knives provided the blade is no longer than 2.36 inches, or 6 centimeters, and does not have a locking fixed blade or a molded grip. This will bring US airport carry-on security rules in line with European Union rules.

Bats weighing less than 24 ounces and no longer than 24 inches will also be allowed onboard, as will lacrosse sticks, hockey sticks, pool cues, ski poles and up to two golf clubs.

Announcing the rule change Tuesday at the 22nd AVSEC World conference in New York, TSA administrator John Pistole said allowing these items onboard would align the US with ICAO and European standards and allow screeners to focus on the highest priority threat—non-metallic explosive devices.More

Andy Harris, the only Maryland Republican serving in Congress, voted against reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act last week, but he didn't call and tell me that.

Word of Harris' vote came from the Democratic Party — specifically, a news release from state chair Yvette Lewis, who blasted the 1st District congressman for his nay on the VAWA: "Today, by voting against the Violence Against Women Act, Congressman Andy Harris decided to continue his trend of voting against bipartisan legislation that would help people in the First District and Maryland.

"Eighty-seven House Republicans voted for this legislation, which is a reauthorization of vital support for organizations that serve victims of domestic violence. But Andy Harris remains committed to his far-right, out-of-touch positions and refuses to put the needs of his constituents first."More

(PIKESVILLE, MD) – Maryland State Troopers, in coordination with the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, the State Highway Administration, and other local agencies prepare for the approaching snow storm.

Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police, advises motorists to be aware of the possibility of hazardous conditions that may arise from the pending snow event. Colonel Brown has directed barrack commanders across the state to be prepared to assess road conditions in their area and deploy troopers as appropriate.

Motorists are reminded of highway restrictions should a snow emergency plan be activated. If declared, parking is prohibited on roads and streets designated as snow emergency routes. All motorists are required to use approved mud and snow tires or chains while operating their vehicle during a declared snow emergency. All unattended vehicles along major roads will be towed. A motorist whose car or truck has been towed can contact the local state police barrack for information regarding their vehicle.

During snow storms, abandoned and disabled vehicles cause major concerns for snow removal trucks and for troopers responding to emergency situations. Maryland State Police encourage those who do not need to travel during the storm to stay off the roads. If you find it necessary to travel, make sure your vehicle is in good working condition and have an emergency roadside kit in your vehicle.

In the event of power failures, motorists are reminded of Maryland’s law concerning non-functioning traffic lights. The law requires all drivers approaching an intersection with a non-functioning traffic signal to stop. Drivers may proceed only after they have yielded to any vehicles or pedestrians already in the intersection. They must remain stopped until the intersection is clear and it is safe to proceed.

For the latest statewide emergency information, citizens are urged to visit the Maryland Emergency Management Agency website at www.mema.state.md.us. Up to the minute statewide traffic information, including road closures due to snow or ice is available on-line at www.511md.org, or by calling 511. Road conditions and views of live traffic cameras are also available on the State Highway Administration website at www.roads.maryland.gov. Citizens are urged not to call Maryland State Police barracks simply to check on road conditions. Calls to police or 911 centers during the storm should be for emergency situations only.

Commercial vehicles are invited to wait out the storm at one of ten Maryland State Police scale house parking lots that will be available overnight. The following is a listing of all the Maryland scale house locations:

Delmar on US 13 in Wicomico CountyFinzel on I-68 Eastbound in Garrett CountyHyattstown on I-270 in Montgomery CountyParkton on I-83 Southbound Baltimore CountyNew Market on I-70 Eastbound in Frederick CountyUpper Marlboro on US 301 in Prince George’s CountyWest Friendship on 1:70 Westbound in Howard CountyCollege Park, Park & Ride on I-95/495 in Prince George’s CountyConowingo on US 1 in Harford CountyCecilton on US 301 Southbound in Cecil County

Maryland State Police will be working closely with State Highway Administration and Maryland Emergency Management Agency officials throughout the storm. Marylanders are urged not to travel during the storm unless absolutely necessary.

SINCE SAN FRANCISCO first moved in 2007 to staunch the deluge of non-biodegradable shopping bags that harm wildlife and litter streets, waterways and sewers, other jurisdictions have followed suit, including the District, three years ago, and Montgomery County, last year. As the use of 5-cent bag taxes and similar measures have spread, Americans have learned two lessons: The measures are effective at cutting litter and popularizing the reuse of bags; and industry arguments against such measures are nonsense.

That has raised hopes in Maryland of enacting the country’s first statewide bag tax this year. (Hawaii has a de facto ban, since each of its four counties prohibits the use of carryout plastic bags at checkout counters.) Predictably, plastic-bag manufacturers are again hoping to kill or subvert legislation that would benefit the environment.

The evidence from the District and Montgomery is overwhelming. In the District, plastic bag use has dropped by at least half since the 5-cent tax went into effect in 2010. In Montgomery, the drop was significant — about a third — though not as sharp as in the District; however, the county collected more than $2 million from the tax last year, which will help it pay to remove litter that includes plastic bags. More

NEW YORK (AP) — The FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating a pilot's report that he spotted a small unmanned aircraft at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The Alitalia pilot told air traffic controllers that he saw the aircraft as he approached the runway at Kennedy at 1:15 p.m. Monday. The pilot said the aircraft was 4 to 5 miles southeast of the airport and was flying at an altitude of about 1,500 feet.More

So this is what is happening in Oakland, one of the many forgotten about, left-behind corners of America. From CBS:OAKLAND (KPIX 5) – Oakland’s crime problems have gotten so bad that some people aren’t even bothering to call the cops anymore; instead, they’re trying to solve and prevent crimes themselves.

In a neighborhood that has started to feel like the wild west, people have even started posting “wanted” signs.

Personally, I think this is the only “Wanted” sign that people should be putting up all over America.

The University of Maryland Extension is partnering with Maryland DNR Forest Service and the Wicomico and Dorchester County Forestry Boards to offer free trees in celebration of Maryland Arbor Day. Free trees will be given to all in attendance, but special tree packets will be given to landowners wishing to plant trees near water. The Backyard Buffers Program is designed to assist homeowners (with less than 5 acres of land) who have a stream or other waterway on or adjacent to their property to create a streamside buffer of native trees and shrubs.

The Backyard Buffers Program provides a free “buffer in a bag” to help get homeowners started in buffering their streamside. The buffer in a bag includes 20 native tree and scrub bare-root seedlings, approximately 1 to 2 feet in height, of various species that are well suited to streamside conditions.

The forestry Boards will be giving away trees to all in attendance, but Backyard Buffer trees will be reserved and distributed on a first come, first serve basis. The first 100 homeowners to register for each Lower Shore county will receive trees. Contact 410-228-1861 (Dorchester County) or 410-543-1950 (Wicomico County) to sign up.

FORT BRAGG -- On his two deployments to Iraq with the 18th Airborne Corps, Spec. Jon Michael Cripps spent more time keeping the Army’s computers running than he did in combat, but he can’t forget what he heard.

The constant roar of generators along with the hum of computer servers and the high-powered air conditioners required to cool them damaged Cripps’ hearing and left an intermittent ringing in his ears.

“You think about maybe getting wounded in battle, getting those kinds of scars,” Cripps said after his annual hearing test at a health center on post recently. “Losing your hearing is just not something you think about.”

But it’s a widespread problem that affects the quality of service members’ lives now and will worsen in decades to come. And it’s largely preventable.

At least a fourth of soldiers who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan show some hearing loss, Army audiologists say, and even those who don’t deploy often are exposed to constant or concussive noises in their work or training that can cause hearing loss or tinnitus, a ringing in the ears. As they grow older, their normal, age-related hearing loss will compound the problem.

Among veterans, tinnitus and hearing loss are the most common service-connected disabilities, with more than 1.5 million veterans receiving compensation for those problems at the end of 2011. Of about 805,000 veterans who began receiving disability compensation that year, nearly 148,000 were for tinnitus or hearing loss, according to a recent VA report. By comparison, the next most prevalent disability was post-traumatic stress disorder, for which about 42,700 veterans began receiving compensation in 2011.

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) — Another Maryland child has been suspended from school for what some say was a simple childhood act. But school officials say the seven-year-old was threatening violence with a breakfast pastry. Now the boy’s family is outraged.

Kai Jackson has both sides of the controversy.

It’s being called the “Pop Tart pistol” but the Anne Arundel County school system isn’t laughing.

Seven-year-old Joshua Welch had a rough morning last week at Park Elementary in Brooklyn Park.More

Democrats and the media have accused Tea Party favorite Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) of "McCarthyism" merely for posing tough questions to and about Chuck Hagel during the latter's confirmation as Secretary of Defense. Yet a recent column by former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich reveals who the real McCarthyites are in U.S. politics today, as Reich likens the Tea Party to a conspiracy "to undermine the government of the United States."

Reich, who has steadfastly supported President Barack Obama's big-government, tax-and-spend agenda, wrote that the Tea Party had "infiltrated" the government at every level, and had used the budget cuts in the sequester to begin "dismantling pieces of it." He outlined the rest of his conspiracy theory at the left-wing Salon.com:Imagine a plot to undermine the government of the United States, to destroy much of its capacity to do the public’s business, and to sow distrust among the population.

Imagine further that the plotters infiltrate Congress and state governments, reshape their districts to give them disproportionate influence in Washington, and use the media to spread big lies about the government.

Finally, imagine they not only paralyze the government but are on the verge of dismantling pieces of it.

Far-fetched? Perhaps. But take a look at what’s been happening in Washington and many state capitals since Tea Party fanatics gained effective control of the Republican Party, and you’d be forgiven if you see parallels.

Over the past few months the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office has received numerous complaints regarding a subject identified as Timothy Abbott from Deal Island soliciting cash donations for the Deal Island Fire Department. During the investigation, deputies learned that Abbott who is not a fire fighter, had been going door to door to residents in the Deal Island area wearing a Deal Island Fire Department hat, and asking for cash donations for the fire department. After Abbott had received cash and or checks he would give a free smoke detector for the donation. The smoke detectors that were given out to the residence’s had been reported stolen from the fire department. Abbott was ultimately arrested and charged with (9) counts of fraud-misrepresentation for fund raising, theft scheme, less than $1,000 theft value less than $1,000, and violating a court ordered protective order. Abbott was later held on a $25,000 bond.

The Department of Homeland Security (through the U.S. Army Forces Command) recently retrofitted 2,717 of these ‘Mine Resistant Protected’ vehicles for service on the streets of the United States.

Although I’ve seen and read several online blurbs about this vehicle of late, I decided to dig slightly deeper and discover more about the vehicle itself.

The new DHS sanctioned ‘Street Sweeper’ (my own slang due to the gun ports) is built by Navistar Defense (NavistarDefense.com), a division within the Navistar organization. Under the Navistar umbrella are several other companies including International Trucks, IC Bus (they make school buses), Monaco RV (recreational vehicles), WorkHorse (they make chassis), MaxxForce (diesel engines), and Navistar Financial (the money arm of the company).

Corporate profits hit record highs in the second half of 2012, but that prosperity hasn’t led to the creation of jobs, since America’s biggest firms are sitting on stocks of cash instead of investing them back into the economy.

At the same time, wages hit record lows, and corporate earnings are rising nearly 20 times faster than disposable incomes, the New York Times reports:As a percentage of national income, corporate profits stood at 14.2 percent in the third quarter of 2012, the largest share at any time since 1950, while the portion of income that went to employees was 61.7 percent, near its lowest point since 1966. In recent years, the shift has accelerated during the slow recovery that followed the financial crisis and ensuing recession of 2008 and 2009, said Dean Maki, chief United States economist at Barclays.

Corporate earnings have risen at an annualized rate of 20.1 percent since the end of 2008, he said, but disposable income inched ahead by 1.4 percent annually over the same period, after adjusting for inflation.

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley on Monday night released a proposal that includes an increase in overall gasoline taxes and other measures to raise hundreds of millions of dollars annually in new money for transportation.

O'Malley, a Democrat, outlined the plan with Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, D-Calvert, and House Speaker Michael Busch, D-Anne Arundel, at a news conference. With the presiding officers in his corner, O'Malley stands a strong chance of ushering the measure through the Democrat-controlled Legislature.

The plan would apply a new sales tax on gasoline, starting at 2 percent in July. It would rise to 4 percent in July 2014. It also would reduce the current excise tax on a gallon of gas by 5 cents, from 23.5 cents to 18.5 cents. The plan would then index the excise tax to the consumer price index to adjust for inflation.More

Salisbury mayor Jim Ireton LOVES to spend money – OTHER PEOPLE’s MONEY. Being a lifelong government employee, Ireton sees nothing wrong with doling our cash because, in his mind, there is ALWAYS MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM.

That’s a good thing, right? In the end it was; but not if the city had done it “Jimmy’s Way”.
Ireton brought a proposal to the city council calling for the hardworking people of Salisbury to pay for the demolition. Why not? It’s other people’s money. The evil, obstructionist council, led by Debbie Campbell, said NO!

Why would they do that? Those mean, nasty people on city council thought that it was more appropriate for the property’s owners to pay for it. Shame on you Debbie Campbell! You took away another opportunity for Jimmy to call a press conference!

Of course, this hasn’t prevented Ireton from taking all of the credit during his campaign for re-election. I wonder if this is another of Jake Day’s examples that the “mayor needs a partner”.

If Salisbury has any hope of revitalizing its economy, it deserves a Mayor AND a Council that respects the hardworking people and businesses of Salisbury. These are the folks who pay the bills.

A United Nations investigator has demanded that the US publish classified documents regarding the CIA’s human rights violations under former President George W. Bush, with hopes that the documents will lead to the prosecution of public officials.

Documents about the CIA’s program of rendition and secret detention of suspected terrorists have remained classified, even though President Obama’s administration has publicly condemned the use of these “enhanced interrogation techniques”. The US has not prosecuted any of its agents for human rights violations.

Monday Afternoon Hearing in Economic Matters:I presented HB-999 to the members of the Economic Matters Committee. The bill seeks some minor modifications of current liquor control laws governing only Worcester County and was requested by the Board of License Commissioners and the Worcester County Commissioners.

Tuesday Judiciary Hearings:HB-698 would create a study of the feasibility for Ex-Offenders to be provided business development programs to promote entrepreneurships of the former inmates. Last year the bill required investing in the businesses of the former inmates, and this year it only seeks to study the issue.HB-909 would allow for the venue of a homicide scene to be the location where the body or parts of a body were recovered in instances where the establishment of a crime scene cannot be determined.HB-777 would allow Defendant Cash-Only Bail Bonds to be made by a private surety as opposed to only being made by the defendant.HB-933 would keep somebody charged with Human Trafficking saying, as a defense, that they did not know the age of the victim in the case.HB-943 would alter the crime of abducting a child under 16 years of age for the purposes of prostitution from a misdemeanor to a felony with a 10-20 year service. After reviewing the bill, it would seem better to simply eliminate this charge as a misdemeanor and simply allow a defendant to be charged with the general charge of Kidnapping which carries a 20-year sentence.HB-541 would allow for the state to issue a Certificate of Rehabilitation to an Ex-Offender who has successfully completed various established programs. The Certificate would provide a tangible way for our Division of Corrections to assert that an offender has been rehabilitated. It is thought that this may help former inmates become employable in many instances where before they were viewed with great skepticism.HB-787 would require a person be charged with Reckless Endangerment as a specific charge but it could not be considered a lesser charge for another offense unless specifically charged.HB-921 allows for victims of crimes to be provided a portion of the money earned by an inmate who is earning money while incarcerated.HB-1188 increases the age covered by the Human Trafficking statute from 18 to 21 years of age. It is believed this would aid in the prosecution of these crimes.HB-1112 would create a process for the release of an individual from custody for a person convicted but found Criminally Responsible. It would put the decision back before the Trial judge before a final disposition is rendered and a person released.HB-742 seeks to correct last year’s Citation bill which failed to capture a couple of misdemeanor charges which previously could be written via citation but now are not on the list. This bill corrects that omission.HB-891 would include Anne Arundel County to the list of counties who enhance penalties around the drug hot spot areas around a school zone.HB-1056 seeks to require sensitivity and awareness training for law enforcement personnel in Maryland to recognize the victims of human trafficking.HB-1018 seeks to create a task force to study the use of debt collectors through the office of a prosecutor to address “bad check” diversion programs. Some State’s Attorneys are utilizing these private services to assist in the collection of bad debts. The complaint was that this avoids due process.HB-1228 would create a commission to study the disproportionate justice impact on minorities.HB-887 would create a Search Warrant to obtain cell phone tracking information (commonly called “pinging” a location). The new technology is forcing law enforcement and the courts to examine the mechanism utilized when securing things such as cell phone records and locations. There would be an exemption for exigent circumstances where law enforcement needs to act with great speed.HB-854 would allow for the expungement of records for those persons who have been found “not criminally responsible” when the crimes are not of a violent nature. There may be some room for relief in these cases. I mentioned shielding of the records as opposed to expungement and this may be a starting point.HB-829 would require the Dept. of Corrections to adopt specific policies whereby pregnant detainees would not be shackled while they are receiving medical care relative to their pregnancy or while giving childbirth. We heard from witnesses how some of the procedures utilized by corrections staff have been overdone when it comes to securing an inmate under these circumstances. This needs to be weighed out between the issues surrounding public safety under these conditions and the bill appears to make these types of provisions.

Wednesday Meeting of Gun Bill Work Group:We reviewed the amendments which had been applied to SB-281. Some represent significant modifications to the bill. The biggest changes are to the licensure process for the Handgun Qualification License which was amended to a 4 hour course at a cost of $50.00 (which does not include the cost of fingerprinting and background investigation). The Senate also added an additional feature requirement in order for a rifle to be considered an “Assault Weapon”. They also altered the language to state that if a firearm was purchased in Maryland it would be considered to have been "registered" by the owner at the time of purchase. I will be reviewing the amendments and seeking to add additional changes and modifications to the bill as it moves through the House Judiciary Committee in the coming weeks.

Wednesday Judiciary Committee Hearings:HB-626 would provide for increases in the salaries of the Register of Wills across the state. This is a standard review practice that adjusts wages on a periodic basis and would take effect in 2014.HB-942 seeks to tighten up the regulations governing medical records being protected from identity fraud.HB-658 would require the Register of Wills in every jurisdiction to submit a report to the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate JPR Committee. Since the issue is centered on one form, it seemed to have been worked out in the committee during deliberations.HB-1211 this is known as “Slayer’s Statute” and would prevent someone who murders another person from being able to profit from anything tied to those actions. We see this in cases involving the murder of one family member over another who may have been the person named in an estate. The idea that someone could profit in Maryland from the murder of another person is ludicrous, but we will need to pass this bill if it is to be the law in Maryland.HB-950 provides for increases in the salaries of the Clerk of Court positions across the state. This is a standard review practice that adjusts wages on a periodic basis and would take effect in 2014.HB-837 would provide for the awarding of attorney’s fees and expenses in cases involving family farms when they prevail in suits filed for violations of environmental regulations impacting any waterway.HB-858 would modify the current Administration Law governing Estates and Trusts and the Inheritance Tax.Judiciary Committee Voting Session:Bills voted “Favorable” by the committee-HB-60, HB-152, HB-183, HB-250, HB-264, HB-278, HB-282,HB-311, HB-430,HB-476, HB-709, HB-719

Thursday Morning Session:Bills Passed on Third ReaderOf the bills passed this morning, one contains another Electric Tax/Fee that will be seen in every Maryland Consumers bill each month to continue funding the Environmental Trust Fund and various program areas. Once again, this was a “Sunset Bill” whose time had come and , of course, we renewed this tax on Marylanders without fail. These fees and taxes which the democrats often hide in plain sight are often sold to the body as being less onerous due to a “Sunset Provision” which promises to end the fee or tax collection at a date certain in the future. Sadly, the sun never sets on a tax or fee once instigated in Maryland. The same was true today with passage of HB-385.

Thursday Judiciary Hearings:HB853 addresses Permanent Final Protective Orders and expands some of the provisions under such an Order when a 2nd Degree Assault charge is the subject of the Order.HB-792 allows the Washington County Sheriff to collect Child Support payments for inmates who are working while incarcerated. This is already allowed in many counties in Maryland and this would add Washington County to the list.HB-849 requires a different calculation for parents paying Child Support when multiple children are involved.HB-1099 seeks to craft legislative language to address reproductive rights when conception involves collaborative reproduction. It attempts to address intended parents versus the gestational rights of a surrogate in case there is a dispute.HB-715 addresses the issues surrounding the termination of parental rights in cases of rape.HB-1006 would create the ability to “shield” public access to certain non-violent misdemeanor criminal records from general public viewing. If it could be amended to require a 5-year span be applied before shielding could occur and some modifications can be made to the delineated crimes, this could be made to work.

Friday Morning Session:Third Reader Bills PassedThe House received several of the surviving members of the original Buffalo Soldiers, the 92nd Infantry Army Division composed of all black soldiers who distinguished themselves on numerous occasions and battlefields during WWII. It was an honor to see them on the floor of the House.

Friday Joint Hearing of Judiciary and HGO Committees on Governor’s Gun Bill:The hearing concluded at close to 4:00 am on Saturday morning following nearly 16-hours of non-stop testimony. 1342 signed up to speak against the Governor’s Gun Control Bill while only 34 spoke up in favor of the bill. I wrote an update about 8-hours into the hearing not realizing I had just hit the halfway marker. There were some great points made during the hearing and we will be putting them together for distribution this week. In spite of the overwhelming presence on display against the bill, and the paltry number who showed up in support, many have their minds set and the road ahead is bound to be full of many disappointments for liberty minded Marylanders.